NBN On Target: Almost 800,000 Premises Within Reach

The National Broadband Network (NBN) may not be proceeding as quickly as you’d wish, but it is currently on target. NBN Co announced today that it has commenced or completed construction in areas covering 784,592 premises by the end of 2012.

The projected target number for that date was 758,000, so NBN Co is very slightly ahead of schedule. It’s a slightly annoying metric, as it doesn’t reflect premises actually connected, merely the potential reach of the main network. By June 2013, it is due to have passed 286,000 premises, assuming it can keep sticking to its timetable. But it’s a slow process; construction isn’t set to finish until 2021.

I don’t imagine the new number will do much to placate NBN critics, especially those who persist in spouting the key myths about the NBN. if you are lucky enough to be in NBN-connected premises, check out our comprehensive NBN Planhacker to find the right plan for you.

Discuss

How about you check out the rollout map on nbnco.com.au, they even provide spreadsheets and maps for the areas under construction so you can see the estimated month that services will be available.
Deriding the NBN for not servicing a specific suburb already with 8 years of construction remaining is completely stupid. Asking what the progress on it is equally dumb when you have all of the next 12 month's construction schedules published every 3 months.

You can, however, complain that the NBN is forced to make completely unintuitive rollout efforts prioritising regional areas first because of stupid deals done with the independents in the last election. It makes little sense, neither logistically nor financially, rolling out fibre regionally when you don't have the cities connected first.

Can't wait for NBN in my area but it's clear when talking to friends and family and going through the rollout map with them that the service borderlines don't make sense especially when overlayed with the DSL (1&2) mapping. Yes I'm aware that in some areas NBN is utilising new purpose built structures to replace the old exchanges however even taking them into account it still makes little sense. It's like they're leaving a portion of every exchange on the old network on purpose in order to manage take up and any possible congestion on any routing and backhaul systems.